Cletus Cavanaugh, a rough-and-tumble foreman who worked for a coal mine, was ordered to scare away some demonstrators who were organizing a late night vigil opposing a nuclear waste dump that was planned near Skyline Drive in the scenic mountains of Virginia. After the protesters dispersed, he fell asleep on the peak of one of the highest mountains in that area.

During the night, a meteor fell near the spot Cletus was sleeping, and shattered the top crust of the mountain. Unbeknownst to most all of the area residents, there was already a buried nuclear waste dump in the vicinity. The impact of the meteor ignited the dormant thermonuclear waste, thus causing a tremendous explosion that fused Cavanaugh's DNA with the surrounding sedimentary elements of the mountain.

The severity of the explosion caused Cletus to fall into a coma for several weeks. When he finally awoke, Cletus noticed his entire body had become as hard as stone, yet his faculties were still functioning. Once he learned the cause of his mutation was mostly due to the dishonesty of the greedy corporations that had dishonestly buried the nuclear waste, he vowed to use his newfound strength to battle corruption and avarice.

Blue Ridge fights for the causes of the environment, but he is limited by his own lack of formal education. Before his transformation into the strong, stony behemoth, Cletus Cavanaugh's best accomplishment was overseeing the day-to-day operations of a coal mine. While it was important work, it require no mental acumen, let alone awareness of environmental impact.

Blue Ridge befriended some of the demonstrators he had once chased away, and convinced them of his desire to make a difference. They provided information and guidance so he would not use his powers of strength to damage the resistance, but help them see that our environment can impact us in ways we cannot imagine.

However, Cletus is having quite a rough time adapting to his transformation, and often he becomes clumsy and unintentionally destructive, even though his intentions are quite noble. For instance, if he participates in a march around a nuclear facility and excitedly stomps, his dense weight might cause unforeseen tremors that could set off the sensors near the reactor.

Stony epidermis

Armor: superior (rank 2)

Blue Ridge's outer layer of skin consists of solid rock that is roughly-formed in appearance, but follows the contours of a large human torso. This is due to the fusion of mountainous stone that suddenly erupted when impacted by the meteorite that struck the surface of Skyline Drive.

Igneous internals

Armor: superior (rank 2)

Every interior function of Blue Ridge's body, from the internal organs, blood vessels, muscular structure, respiratory system, and skeletal structure were transformed to a rock-like density. This creates a virtual interior armor that absorbs the impact of a standard blow. Although far from invulnerability, when combined with his outer stony epidermis, this allows Blue Ridge to survive sudden blows, crushing impacts, distant falls, standard bullets, etc.

Seismic stomping

Seismics: standard (rank 1)

Perhaps due to his sheer mass, intense density, or shared elements with the Earth, Blue Ridge has the ability to create tremors in solid rock, and minor crevices (about 10-25 feet deep) in the Earth's crust. Since Blue Ridge has only recently become a hero, he has limited control of his ability and usually these are not caused intentionally.